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As a parliamentary inquiry is launched into the deadly air strike near Kunduz, the top general fired over the scandal has called Defense Minister Guttenberg a liar. With Germany braced for requests for more troops in Afghanistan, Chancellor Merkel’s government is coming under increased pressure over its handling of the attack.

The German government is struggling to contain a scandal over its handling of a deadly air strike called in by a German officer in Afghanistan in September. In particular, Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Defense Minister Karl-Theoder zu Guttenberg are coming under fire for the way they handled information about the strike.

Both are to be called as witnesses to face a parliamentary inquiry into the air strike in January just as they prepare for an Afghanistan conference in London later that month, where Berlin is likely to face pressure to commit more troops to the NATO mission. The country’s involvement in the conflict is highly unpopular at home. Continue reading →